An important key to expressing God’s holiness in your life is to recognize Him as holy and worthy of reverence:

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth…” (1 Peter 1:17).

In Revelation, a multitude of Christians in heaven says He should be feared:

“And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED’” (Revelation 15:3–4).

Many Christians have eradicated the fear of the Lord in our lives. Our worship exalts our feelings; we enjoy the bouncy music and uplifting feel-good message of the lyrics. We think God’s main responsibility is to make us feel good about ourselves, build up our self-esteem, and remove any sense of guilt. If God’s Word says anything that makes us uncomfortable, we try to rephrase it to suit our opinions, ignore it entirely, or claim that we know better than He does. Many Christians think they can mold God into whatever image they desire.

“Fear of the Lord” does not mean we expect God to beat us up over every little misstep and mistake. He is our Father, but He is not the abusive kind of father who comes home drunk and starts beating the kids for no good reason. He does not want us to fear Him like that. In fact, the true love of God casts out that kind of fear (1 John 4:18).

Here is how I can best illustrate the fear of the Lord. Like most Long Islanders, I drive slightly above the posted speed limit at times. However, if I see a police car along the side of the road, I will take my foot off the accelerator. I respect the police officer. I know he can pull me over and write me a ticket if he catches me speeding.

I do not live in fear of police officers, though. The same cop who inspired me to slow down on the road may be the one whom I was chatting with while standing in line in a coffee shop a few minutes earlier. The badge, uniform, and car do not scare me. However, they do remind me that it is in my best interests to show them some respect.

So it is with God. We know that He is always with us. We know that He knows everything. We should know that He is holy. But, do we respect Him? Do we give Him the honor He deserves? Or, do we try to reduce Him to our level? The Bible tells us that God made humans in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), but we often try to reshape Him into our image.

Do you believe God is holy? Are you aware that He is always with you? If so, live as though you believe that. One of the classic writings of Christian spirituality is a short book entitled The Practice of the Presence of God. Practice that presence. Live with the awareness that He is always with you since He dwells within you. In so doing, you will be inspired to live in a way that allows His holiness to shine forth from within you.

Do you respect God? How can you cultivate a genuine respect for Him in your life? Feel free to share by clicking the “Leave a comment” link below.

Copyright © 2020 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.